Method and apparatus for managing multiple data processing systems using existing heterogeneous systems management software

ABSTRACT

A common consolidation management application provides an interface to the multiple different system management software applications and at least one user input console. An adapter in each of the system management software applications supports communication with the consolidation application. A system administrator issues requests to different system management software applications using a common interface provided by the consolidation application. The consolidation application can be installed over an existing complex of computer systems managed by different management applications, without modifying the managed systems or replacing the management applications.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to digital data processing, and inparticular to the management of digital data processing complexescomprising multiple digital data processing systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the latter half of the twentieth century, there began a phenomenonknown as the information revolution. While the information revolution isa historical development broader in scope than any one event or machine,no single device has come to represent the information revolution morethan the digital electronic computer. The development of computersystems has surely been a revolution. Each year, computer systems growfaster, store more data, and provide more applications to their users.

Early computer systems were very expensive and difficult to use, capableof being programmed and manipulated by only a handful of highly-educatedspecialists. The cost of operating such computers was correspondinglyhigh, and they were therefore used for only the most essential tasks.The dynamic which has driven the information revolution is the sustainedreduction in the cost of computing. Thus, information which was tooexpensive to gather, store and process a few years ago, is noweconomically feasible to manipulate via computer. The reduced cost ofinformation processing drives increasing productivity in a snowballingeffect, because product designs, manufacturing processes, resourcescheduling, administrative chores, and many other factors, are made moreefficient.

The cost of information processing not only includes the cost ofcomputer hardware and software, but perhaps even more significantly, thecost of human resources devoted to operating and maintaining computersystems. Improvements to the usability of computer hardware and softwarereduce the cost of human resources associated with informationprocessing, either by reducing the amount of time directly devoted to aparticular task by a human operator (user), or by reducing the level oftraining required of a user in order to achieve proficiency inperforming the task. Continued progress of the information revolutionrequires still further improvements to the usability and manageabilityof computer systems.

Many enterprises operate large networks of computer systems. Thesenetworks are often arranged in a hierarchy, in which individualemployees, agents, contractors, volunteers or other users perform usefulwork on terminals or workstations, which are in turn attached to largercomputer systems. The larger systems may further be interconnected inhierarchical, web, ring, or other network configurations.

Large computer system networks have assumed an ever larger role in theoperations of many enterprises. Transactions with customers or clientsare recorded on computers. Internal financial data is stored oncomputers. Documents are generated, stored and printed on computers.Manufacturing processes are controlled by computers. Products aredeveloped on computers. The list goes on and on. Over time, these largecomputer system networks become so integrated with the operations of theenterprise that it becomes virtually impossible for the enterprise tofunction without the computer network.

Unfortunately, these systems do not just take care of themselves, andlike any complex piece of machinery, require supervision andmaintenance. Because these networks are both very complex and veryessential, most such systems have dedicated personnel responsible fortheir administration and maintenance. These personnel may perform taskssuch as changing network configurations, authorizing users to accessnetwork resources (or removing authorizations), backing up and restoringdata, loading new or upgraded software, analyzing network performance,tuning the network by re-allocating resources, replacing malfunctioningcomponents, and so forth.

In almost any large enterprise, one will find a conglomeration ofcomputer systems which were acquired at different times, for differentpurposes, from different vendors, using different architectures, andperforming different functions. This is understandable, given thatenterprises are constantly expanding and changing. Enterprises are oftendivided into organizational units which perform different functions, andthus have different computing needs. An enterprise may re-organize itsoperations to make them more productive, or may expand into new lines ofoperation, or may simply grow in its existing lines of operation. Manyof these changes require new computer system capability. It isunderstandable that persons responsible for obtaining new computersystem capability in such circumstances will want computer systems whichare most suited to the intended use of the organizational unit involved.Moreover, many enterprises include divisions or other portions whichwere acquired through purchase, merger or otherwise from otherenterprises, and alter acquisition continue to use computer systemswhich were previously used by the division before its association withthe acquiring enterprise.

While the existence of a variety of computer systems in a largeenterprise is the result of rational decisions made at the time each ofthe various systems was acquired, the result of changes over time isoften a heterogeneous collection of systems with little in common. Mostindividual users don't care very much about this complexity, becausethey become accustomed to using one system, and don't worry about whatothers are using. However, for people who are charged with supervisingand maintaining the enterprise's computer systems, this complexity canbe daunting.

Large system complexes are usually managed using system managementsoftware. As used herein, system management is the administration andmaintenance of one or more computer systems. System management softwareis software executing on one or more computer systems which is used toadminister and maintain the computer system(s) on which it executes,and/or other computer systems which communicate with the system(s) onwhich the software executes. This software may reside in a dedicatedsystem used only for management of a complex of computer systems, of mayreside in a system which concurrently performs other tasks. A system inwhich system management software for managing other systems resides isreferred to herein as a management server, and the systems which itmanages are referred to as managed systems. A single management servermight manage thousands of managed systems.

For the same reasons that a variety of computer systems exists in manyenterprises, a variety of system management software exists. Systemmanagement software is often acquired for use with a particular subsetof the computers within the enterprise, and as the collection ofcomputers changes, the system management software changes accordingly.The variety of different system management software applications meansthat system administrators and other maintenance personnel must usemultiple applications, and often multiple separate computer systems, tomanage the computers within an enterprise. This circumstance naturallymakes administration more difficult.

The conventional “solution” to this problem has been migration of thecomputers systems within an enterprise to a common system managementframework. I.e., a common system management application or suite ofapplications, which is intended to manage all the computer systemswithin the enterprise, is chosen for the use of the administrators basedon any desired characteristics. The existing computer systems (i.e., themanaged systems) are then migrated to work with the new common systemmanagement application (which may be on a new management server). Forthose systems which do not already support the new common systemmanagement application, it is generally necessary to install someadditional software.

Unfortunately, this solution is rather expensive, as it can involvemodifying the software on a large number of computer systems. For someof the managed systems, particularly older systems, it may be impossibleto provide all the functional capabilities desired. Finally, even whenmigrated, the solution is often only temporary, because mergers,re-organizations, and other changes to the underlying computer systemswithin an enterprise may re-introduce the problem.

A need exists for improved techniques for managing to complexity ofcomputer systems within an enterprise, particularly techniques which aremore easily adapted to rapid changes in the collection of computersystems within an enterprise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an enterprise having or controlling multiple computer systems whichare managed by multiple different system management softwareapplications (or suites of applications), a common consolidationapplication is established as an interface to the multiple differentsystem management software applications (or suites of applications). Anadapter is installed in each of the systems having system managementsoftware applications, allowing the system management applications tocommunicate with the common consolidation application. The consolidationapplication issues requests to the different system management softwareapplications, which in turn perform management functions for theirrespective managed systems. The management functions performed by eachof the different system management applications are not altered, and theexistence of the consolidation application is completely transparent tothe managed systems. Thus no upgrade or alteration is required of themanaged systems themselves.

Thus, in one aspect of the preferred embodiment, an existing computersystem complex managed by multiple different system managementapplications is migrated to a computer system complex having a globalmanagement interface without alteration of any of the managed systems,and leaving the functions of the existing system management applicationsintact.

In the preferred embodiment, the different system managementapplications communicate with the consolidation application usingadapters employing Web Services. Web Services is known communicationsprotocol using an XML-based remote function call capability. Thefunctions supported by an application are defined using Web ServicesDefinition Language (WSDL). Using WSDL, a set of typical managementrequests is defined for the consolidation application to managementserver interface. Each request defined in the Web Services interface ismapped in the management server to an existing function performed by thesystem management application. When the operator using the consolidationapplication wishes to perform the function, the request is communicatedto one or more management servers, mapped to the local function in therespective system management application of each management server, andperformed using the various system management applications. The responseor responses from the various system management applications areconsolidated by the consolidation application for presentation to theoperator. Such a function is thus performed in the same manner that itwould have been performed had it been invoked initially from one or moremanagement servers, instead of the consolidation application.

Typically, the set of functions which can be invoked from theconsolidation application does not include all the functions performedby the management server (although it could), but is a core set ofmanagement functions supported by many system management applications.In the preferred embodiment, the existing management servers have allthe functions they had originally (before installation of the consoleinterface). An administrator could alternatively invoke any suchfunction directly from the management server, without the use of theconsolidation application. The consolidation application is simply analternative means of invoking the function.

In the preferred embodiment, the consolidation application generates auser interface for a physical system administrator terminal, called aconsole. This interface is preferably a web browser based interface, inwhich the consolidation application acts as a web server. The consoletherefore requires only a conventional browser to access the interface.Multiple consoles, which can be located in diverse locations, can accessthe same consolidation application.

A common management consolidation application and associated adapters asdescribed herein thus provides the capability to manage a large anddiverse network of computer systems from a single physical terminal andsingle application interface. Moreover, because adapters are onlyrequired to be placed in the management servers, and the managed systemsthemselves are not altered, this is a far less expensive solution thatmigration of all the managed systems to a common system managementplatform. Additionally, because each management server preferablypreserves all its original functions, it is not necessary to“compromise” on a common system management application which might notperform some function deemed desirable within a subgroup of theenterprise.

The details of the present invention, both as to its structure andoperation, can best be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a high-level diagram of an exemplary conventional multiplecomputer system complex managed by multiple systems managements servers.

FIG. 2 is a high-level diagram of a multiple computer system complexmanaged by multiple systems managements servers and a singleconsolidation management application server, in accordance with thepreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a high-level block diagram showing the major components ofa server computer system for managing a computer complex, according tothe preferred embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual illustration of the major software components ofa consolidation server system, according to the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual illustration of the major software components ofa system management server, according to the preferred embodiment.

FIGS. 6A and 6B (herein collectively referred to as FIG. 6) are ahigh-level flow diagram of the operation of a consolidation applicationfor consolidating multiple system management applications, according tothe preferred embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a high-level flow diagram showing the process of installing aconsolidated system management apparatus in an existing computer complexhaving multiple system management servers, according to the preferredembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the Drawing, wherein like numbers denote like partsthroughout the several views, FIG. 1 is a high-level diagram of aconventional multiple computer system complex 100 managed by multiplesystems managements servers, as might be typical of computer systemswithin a large enterprise. Complex 100 contains multiple computersystems functioning as system management servers 101-104, whichcommunicate with multiple additional systems functioning as managedsystems 111-132.

Each system management server 101-104 is responsible for managing arespective set of computer systems. The managed set of computer systemsassociated with each management server is indicated in FIG. 1 byconnection links running between the management servers and theirrespective managed systems. For example, server 101 manages managedsystems 111-114, server 102 manages managed systems 130-132, and so on.A management server may communicate directly with the systems inmanages, as indicated by direct links, or management functions may bedistributed in a hierarchy as shown in the case of systems managed byserver 103. In this case, intermediate management servers 105, 106communicate directly with managed systems 115-122, and ultimately withmanagement server 103, which controls the entire set.

As represented in FIG. 1, management servers 101-104 may be, and usuallyare, computer systems of different types. Furthermore, managed systems111-132 may be, and usually are, computer systems of different types.Additionally, within any set of systems managed by a single managementserver, the managed systems may be computer systems of different types,as shown by systems 130-132, managed by server 102.

System management servers 101-104, as well as intermediate servers105-106, are typically general purpose computer systems executing systemmanagement software. These systems could be dedicated managementservers, i.e., computer systems which are used exclusively or nearlyexclusively for system management functions, or they could be systemswhich perform system management tasks in addition to unrelated userapplications. Furthermore, it is possible that multiple systemmanagement software applications would execute on the same physicalcomputer system, although in the general case, such systems execute onseparate computers systems. Where the number of managed systems is verylarge, it is more likely that the system on which the management serveris located will be dedicated to that function.

Each management server 101-104 manages systems within its respective setindependently of the other management servers. The management softwarerunning on any one management server is not necessary the same as themanagement software running on any other management server, and in thegeneral case, each management server executes different systemmanagement software, although many of the functions performed bydifferent management software running on different management serversmay be similar.

The links shown in FIG. 1 between system management servers and managedsystems are intended to represent management control paths, rather thanactual physical connections. While there could be actual physicalconnections running as shown, in the general case the system managementservers communicate with their corresponding managed systems through oneor more networks. Such networks may be arranged in any knownconfiguration or aggregation of configurations, such as webs, rings,star networks, and so forth, which may be coupled together by routersand other links. Furthermore, although links running between differentsets of systems (e.g., between management server 101 and its associatedmanaged systems on one hand, and management server 102 and itsassociated managed systems on the other) are not shown in FIG. 1, inmany large enterprises, most or all of the systems are coupled to acommon network, and systems within different management sets cancommunicate with each other over the network. Most large enterprisessupport some form of internal network for communication among thedifferent systems in the enterprise; however, the network could also bean external network such as the Internet, or could be a combination ofinternal networks at different locations, with are linked together viaan external network such as the Internet.

Although four management servers 101-104, two intermediate servers105-106, and twenty-two managed systems 111-132 are depicted in FIG. 1,it will be understood that the actual number of such system may vary,and is typically much larger. For example, a single management server ina large hierarchical management configuration might manage fourintermediate management servers and 10,000 or so managed systems.

FIG. 2 is a high-level diagram of a multiple computer system complex 200managed by multiple systems managements servers and a singleconsolidation management application server, in accordance with thepreferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2,complex 200 contains multiple computer systems functioning as systemmanagement servers 201-204, which communicate with multiple additionalsystems functioning as managed systems 111-132. In some cases,intermediate management servers 105, 106, may be interposed between amanagement server and the managed systems.

In the preferred embodiment, management servers 201-204 differ fromconventional management servers 101-104 as explained more fully herein.However, intermediate managements servers 105, 106, and managed systems111-132 are conventional systems, and would be exactly the same whethermanaged by conventional management servers 101-104 or management servers201-204 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.One of the advantages of this embodiment is that implementation of aconsolidation management application as described herein does notrequire any alteration to the managed systems, which are generally fargreater in number, more diverse in capability, and more geographicallydispersed, than the management servers.

A single consolidation management application server 205 communicateswith multiple management servers 201-204. Consolidation managementapplication server 205 is a computer system which executes aconsolidation application for the various management servers. Theconsolidation application allows a system administrator or similar userto perform certain system management functions from a single interface,as explained in greater detail herein. The consolidation application issoftware, which can execute on any suitable configured general purposecomputer system. The consolidation application could execute on the samephysical computer system as a management server application, or on adistinct physical system which is separate from any of the othermanagement server systems 201-204. E.g., management server 201 andconsolidation application server 205 could be physically the samecomputer system.

Consolidation management application server 205 is linked to one or moreconsoles 206, of which one is shown in FIG. 2. Console 206 is thephysical terminal at which the system administrator interacts with theconsolidation application. In the preferred embodiment, consolidationmanagement application server acts as a web server to the console(s),while the console(s) are web clients. I.e., the consolidationapplication presents its interactive interface as a set of displaypanels in the form of web pages, which are rendered in a displayableformat by a web browser resident in the console. Thus, the consolerequires no custom software to communicate with the consolidationmanagement application, and the console may use the Internet to connectto consolidation server 205 from almost anywhere. However, the interfacebetween consolidation management application and console need not be aweb-based interface, and could alternatively be almost any form ofinterface. Additionally, console 206 need not be remote fromconsolidation server 205, and could alternatively be a local workstationor other terminal attached to server 205. Server 205 and console 206might alternatively be one and the same system, such as a desktopworkstation.

FIG. 3 shows a high-level block diagram of the major components of aserver computer system 300 for performing management related functionsin computer complex 200, according to the preferred embodiment. System300 could represent a system management server 201-204 or aconsolidation management application server 205. Server system 300comprises central processing unit (CPU) 301, main memory 302, terminalinterface 303, data storage 304, and communications interface 305. Thevarious devices communicate with each other via internal communicationsbus 310. CPU 301 is a general-purpose programmable processor, executinginstructions stored in memory 302; while a single CPU is shown in FIG.3, it should be understood that computer systems having multiple CPUscould be used. Memory 302 is a random-access semiconductor memory forstoring data and programs; memory is shown conceptually as a singlemonolithic entity, it being understood that memory is often arranged ina hierarchy of caches and other memory devices. Terminal interface 303provides a connection for the attachment of a single or multipleterminals, and may be implemented in a variety of ways. Many largeserver computer systems (mainframes) support the direct attachment ofmultiple terminals through terminal interface I/O processors, usually onone or more electronic circuit cards. Alternatively, interface 303 mayprovide a connection to a local area network to which terminals areattached. Various other alternatives are possible. Data storage 304preferably comprises one or more rotating magnetic hard disk driveunits, although other types of data storage could be used.Communications interface 305 provides a physical connection fortransmission of data to and from other computer systems via one or morenetworks. Such networks could include the Internet, any of various localarea or wide area networks internal to the enterprise which owns orcontrols computer complex 200, or any other network, now known orhereafter developed. Communications bus 310 supports transfer of data,commands and other information between different devices; while shown insimplified form as a single bus, it is typically structured as multiplebuses, and may be arranged in a hierarchical form.

Server system 300 shown in FIG. 3 is intended to be a simplifiedrepresentation for illustrative purposes, it being understood that manyvariations in system configuration are possible in addition to thosespecifically mentioned here, and that the complexity of a typical systemand number of attached devices is typically greater. While system 300 isshown with a terminal interface 303 depicting multiple attachedterminals, as in the case of a typical large multi-user system, a serversystem could alternatively be a single-user system such as a workstationor desktop “personal computer”. Server system 300 might also be a systemhaving no attached terminals, in which all interaction with the systemis through client/server connections.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual illustration of the major software components ofconsolidation server system 205, represented as components of memory302, according to the preferred embodiment. Operating system 401 isexecutable code and state data providing various low-level softwarefunctions, such as device interfaces, management of memory pages,management of multiple tasks, etc. as is well-known in the art. Inparticular, operating system 401 includes at least one network accessfunction 402, which in the preferred embodiment includes an Internetaccess function. Network access function 402 is software whichcommunicates through network interface 314 to the one or more externalnetworks. Network access function 402 generally handles networkcommunications on behalf of applications executing in consolidationserver system 205. Specifically, consolidation application 403 invokesnetwork access function 402 to handle communication of data over one ormore networks. Although network access function 402 is shown as part ofoperating system 401, it could alternatively be a separate softwaremodule.

Consolidation application 403 is an executable program which acts asboth a client and a server to provide an interactive user interface toone or more system administrators or similar users at respectiveconsoles 206, and to invoke functions within and receive responses frommultiple system management servers 201-204, as described in greaterdetail herein. Consolidation application 403 includes a systemmanagement server interface 404 for generating data transmissions to anddecoding transmissions from system management servers 201-204. In thepreferred embodiment, communications between consolidation application403 and the system management servers use the Open Grid ServicesArchitecture, which is an extension of Web Services architecture.However, other protocols could alternatively be used. Consolidationapplication 403 further includes a console interface 405 for generatingconsole communications. In the preferred embodiment, console interface405 is a conventional web server interface which builds interactivedisplay panels in HTML for display on a web browser within the console.

Consolidation master database 406 is a database local to consolidationserver 205 containing configuration and other information necessary forcommunicating with the various system managements servers 201-204, andwith console 206. Specifically, master database 406 contains dataidentifying each system management server 201-204 in computer complex200. Identifying information includes a network address or similaridentifier enabling communications to be directed to the desiredmanagement server system. It further includes information identifyingmanagement functions supported by the management server system in theset of management functions which can be requested by consolidationapplication 403. This information could be in the form of a flag bit foreach respective management function, or could be an identifier of themanagement program and version number executing on the management serversystem. Master database 406 optionally includes substantial additionalinformation which, while not strictly necessary for performing minimalfunctions described herein, might be useful to provide to personnelusing the consolidation application (i.e., to display at a console, orfor other purposes). For example, master database 406 optionallyincludes descriptive information concerning the management serversystem, such as: type of processor(s), operating system, storagecapacity, and so forth; physical location of the system; name(s) andtelephone numbers of key contacts (such as security, repair, and otheradministrative personnel). Master database 406 may further containprofile information regarding system administrators authorized to useconsolidation application 403.

Scheduled function database 407 contains information regarding functionswhich are to be sent to one or more management servers at a scheduledtime. Scheduled functions database allows an administrator to schedule amanagement function in the future, either to be performed at a specifictime or times, or on a periodic basic. When data in scheduled functionsdatabase indicates it is time to dispatch a function request to amanagement server, consolidation application dispatches the functionrequest automatically, without the need for the system administrator tobe logged on at the console.

Cached state database 408 contains state information with respect tocomplex 200 which has been returned to consolidation application 403 inresponse to function requests. State information may includeconfiguration information, status information, historical usage data,error logs, or any other information which may be returned by the systemmanagement servers. It should be noted that information in cached statedatabase 408 is inherently second-hand, and that the system managementservers are the authoritative repository of such information. Forexample, cached state database may include a list of all managed systemsof a particular management server, but the list will only be current asof the last time such data was requested from the management server. Dueto frequent configuration and other changes, new data should berequested whenever it is necessary to have precise information. On theother hand, caching such data may still be useful to administrators, inorder to reduce the volume of requests for new data. Data may also becached in database 408 because the administrator who requested it islogged off by the time the data is received in consolidation server 205.Preferably, all cached data has a timestamp or other indicator of itsage, so that the user may judge whether it is too stale to be reliedupon.

Console message queues 409 contain messages for the console(s). Ingeneral, these messages are generated in response to responsive datareceived from the system management servers. For example, if a requestis issued to a system management server to gather certain performancedata, a message may be placed in the console's message queue when aresponse is received from the system management server, indicating thatthe data is ready. Typically, console messages are immediately displayedinteractively as part of the web user interface. However, they couldalso saved until retrieved by the operator, particularly where theoperator is not logged on when the message is received. Preferably,messages remain in the message queue 409 until deleted by the consoleoperator.

Input queue 410 temporarily stores communications received over thenetwork or networks from console 206 or management servers 201-204. Inthe case of console communications, these are generally server requests(the console being the client), either to perform some managementfunction or provide information to the console. In the case ofmanagement server communications, incoming communications are typicallyresponses to previous requests from the consolidation application (theconsolidation application being the client). Incoming communicationsfrom input queue 410 are handled generally by consolidation application403. Consolidation application 403 may respond to incoming consolerequests by transmitting locally available information to the console,by transmitting one or more management function requests to one or moremanagement servers, or otherwise. Consolidation application 403 mayrespond to incoming responses from a management server by adding data tocached state database and/or transmitting data to a requesting console,or in some other appropriate manner. Although a single queue is shown,there could be multiple queues.

Output queue 411 temporarily stores outgoing communications fortransmission over one or more networks. I.e., outgoing managementfunction requests destined for a system management server 201-204 areformatted according to a predetermined protocol by system managementserver interface 404 and enqueued in output queue 411 for transmission.Outgoing server responses to console requests are formatted by consoleinterface 405 and enqueued in queue 411. Although a single queue isshown, there could be multiple queues.

Consolidation system 205 may optionally contain additional applications412, 413 and databases 414, 415. These optional additional applicationsmay be related to system administration, or might be unrelatedapplications.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual illustration of the major software components ofa system management server 201-204, represented as components of memory302, according to the preferred embodiment. Operating system 501 andnetwork access function 502 provide function analogous to those ofoperating system 401 and network access function 402, respectively, ofconsolidation server system 205. While the functions provided areanalogous, these are not necessarily the same operating system ornetwork access function (although they could be).

System management application 503 is an executable program whichperforms system management on a subset of systems in computer complex200. The functions performed by system management application could beany of a variety of functions normally performed by system managementsoftware. In particular, it is preferred that system managementapplication 503 perform all of the core management functions describedherein, in order to support the full range of functions supported inconsolidation application 403. However, support for all of the listedfunctions is not a requirement, and a system management applicationcould alternatively support only some of the core functions. Generally,system management function 503 will perform various management functionsin addition to the core management functions described herein.

System management application 503 accesses a database of state data 505to perform management functions. State data 505 may includeconfiguration data for the systems managed by system managementapplication 503, status information for the systems, usage andaccounting data, error logs, and so forth. Some of the data in statedata 505 may be used to provide responses to a request from theconsolidation application.

Consolidation adapter 504 works with system management application toinvoke core management functions from the consolidation application.Specifically, consolidation adapter receives requests from theconsolidation application to invoke core management functions, andresponsive to these requests, invokes corresponding management functionwithin system management application 503. Such a function may be invokedusing any of various conventional methods. For example, systemmanagement application 503 may have defined application programminginterfaces (APIs) for invoking its functions. Alternatively, adapter 504may generate input simulating an interactive user. The method chosenwill depend on the specifics of the system management application. I.e.,a consolidation adapter is specific to the system management applicationwith which it interacts. Where multiple different system managementapplications exist in the same computer complex, each such applicationwill have a different consolidation adapter. However, all consolidationadapters maintain a common interface with the consolidation application403. As explained previously, communications with the consolidationapplication preferably use the Open Grid Services Architecture.

System management application 503 is preferably a stand-aloneconventional application, which does not require consolidation adapter504. I.e., system management application 503 preferably supports its ownuser interface for receiving commands from a user and presentingresponses to the user, and maintains all data necessary for invoking thesupported functions. It is envisioned that the system managementapplication is generally a pre-existing application which performsmanagement functions on the set of managed systems. In accordance withthe present invention, it is not necessary to make any alterations tothe existing system management applications within a computer complex.Consolidation adapter 504 is typically added to a system managementserver which has been running a system management application for sometime, in order to support invoking the core set of functions at theconsolidation application. However, this temporal relationship is notstrictly necessary, and it would be possible to load both applicationsat about the same time. System management application 503 is shown inFIG. 5 and referred to herein as a single application for clarity ofillustration and explanation, although it is often a suite ofapplications. As used herein, “system management application” should beunderstood to include a suite of applications.

Input queue 506 temporarily stores communications received over thenetwork or networks from consolidation application 403 or one of managedsystems 111-132 (or an intermediate management server 105-106. Requestsfrom consolidation application 403 are handled by consolidation adapter504, which invokes a corresponding function in system managementapplication 503. Communications from managed systems or intermediatemanagement servers are handled directly by the system managementapplication 503. Although a single queue is shown, there could bemultiple queues.

Output queue 507 temporarily stores outgoing communications fortransmission over one or more networks. I.e., outgoing responses toconsolidation application 403 are formatted according to a predeterminedprotocol by consolidation adapter 504 and enqueued in output queue 507for transmission. Outgoing communications to the managed systems, suchas management function commands, are placed on the output queue directlyby system management application 503. Although a single queue is shown,there could be multiple queues.

A system management server 201-204 may optionally contain additionalapplications 511, 512 and databases 513, 514. These optional additionalapplications may be related to system administration, or might beunrelated applications.

It will be understood that FIGS. 4 and 5 are conceptual views forpurposes illustrating the present invention, and that the actual numberof software components in a typical system is much larger. Furthermore,although certain components are shown as combined or separate entities,combined components may actually be separate components, and vice-versa.While the software components are shown conceptually as residing inmemory, it will be understood that in general the memory of a computersystem will be too small to hold all programs and data simultaneously,and that information is typically stored in data storage 304, comprisingone or more mass storage devices such as rotating magnetic disk drives,and that the information is paged into memory by operating system 401 or501 as required.

In the preferred embodiment, a core set of system management functionsis supported through the consolidation application. The user selects arequest at the console (acting as a web client) to the consolidationapplication (acting as a web server), the consolidation applicationissues the request to a management server to perform the function, andthe management server responds. The response may include providinginformation residing in the management server, obtaining informationfrom managed systems of the management server, or executing programs ineither the management server or its managed systems. A representativecores set of functions is described below. In this representative set,the functions are grouped into five WSDL port types, named theConsolidatedSystemsManagementPort, MonitorPort, SystemPort, MessagePortand ProcessPort.

The ConsolidatedSystemsManagementPort contains the following functions:

-   getSystemNames: This request returns a list of the names of all    systems defined in the management server. Because the managed    systems are constantly changing, the consolidation application    should request a list whenever it needs current information.-   getSystemGroupNames: Systems administrators can define arbitrary    groups of systems, for any of various purposes. For example, systems    may be grouped according to organizational entity, physical    location, type of system, type of work performed on the system, or    according to some other factors, alone or in combination. This    request returns the names of all groups defined in the management    server.-   getDefinedTasks: A system administrator may define tasks to be    executed by a system management application. The system management    application maintains a list of such pre-defined tasks locally.    Tasks are a form of macro, in which one or more management functions    performed by the system management application, along with function    parameters, are grouped to form a pre-defined task. The    getDefinedTask request returns a list of all pre-defined task in the    management server, which the requester has authority to invoke. In    the preferred embodiment, the core set of management functions does    not include the capability to define tasks, since that capability is    often very specific to the system management application. A task    must be defined by directly accessing the system management    application. However, once defined, it is possible to run the task    from the consolidation application.-   getDefinedMonitors: This request returns a list of all defined    monitors managed by the system management application. A monitor    continually or periodically gathers information about some    particular resource (e.g, storage utilization) of one or more    systems. Certain pre-defined events may cause a monitor to halt    execution and save status. Like tasks, any monitors must be defined    directly by the system management application.-   getMessageCategories: Each system management application may have    its own defined message categories, which might be fixed or    programmable. This request returns the message categories defined in    a system management application.-   runTask: runs a task defined in a request string input by the    requester.-   runDefinedTask: runs a previously defined task which is identified    by name (see getDefinedTasks above).-   startTaskBasedOn: This request is re-runs a task which was    previously executed; the previous task is an input parameter passed    by the requestor.-   startMonitor: This request starts a monitor identified in the    request.-   restartMonitor: This request restarts a monitor which has halted,    e.g., due to a trigger condition. The trigger condition is cleared    and the monitor started again.-   getSystemStatuses: This request requests the current status of one    or more enumerated systems. The management server responds with    status. The status reported is a simple indicator of whether the    system is currently operating. I.e., at this level, operating    parameters such as CPU usage, number of logged on users, etc. is not    reported.-   getGroupStatuses: This request returns the current status of each    group defined in the management server. The status reported is a    simple indicator of whether the group is currently operating,    meaning that the systems within the group are operating. Where some    systems in the group are not operating and other are, the status may    include a gray indicator showing what proportion of systems are    operating.-   getTaskStatuses: Returns the current status of any tasks that    requestor had started on the system management application.-   getMonitorStatuses: Returns the current status of one or more    monitors to which the requestor has access; the monitors are    identified in the request.-   GetMessages: Returns a list of all messages in a particular    category. The message category is a required input parameter.

The MonitorPort contains the following functions:

-   getMonitoredValues: returns the monitored values produced by a    monitor identified in the request. For example, if the monitor is a    storage monitor, monitored values might include total storage    utilization, frequency of storage accesses, average latency of    access, and so forth.-   getValueDetails: This request returns more detailed monitored values    than returned in the getMonitoredValues request.

The SystemPort contains the following functions:

-   getSystemAttr: returns various semi-permanent properties of a system    identified in the request.-   GetSystemProcesses: returns a list of all processes currently    executing on a system identified in the request.

The MessagePort contains the following functions:

-   getMessageDetail: returns the specific contents of a message    identified in the request.-   deleteMessage: deletes a message from the message queue.

The ProcessPort contains the following functions:

-   getProcessAttributes: returns the underlying attributes or    properties of a process identified in the request, such as the type    of process, process priority, authority, and so forth.-   suspendprocess: temporarily halts execution of a process while    preserving process state.-   resume process: resumes execution of a previously halted process.-   endProcess: forces a process to terminate.

It will be understood that the set of core functions described above issimply one example of a representative set, and that other or additionalfunctions (e.g., monitor creation, installation of software fixes, etc.)could be included.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention,configuration application functions as the intermediary between thevarious system management applications and the console, to provide asingle unified interface at the console. The console is preferablyentirely conventional. I.e., the console executes an interactive webbrowser session, from which the user can input data, e.g., using HTMLforms or any other input mechanism supported by a web server, and canreceive output from the consolidation application, acting as a webserver, in the form of HTML web pages. The system managementapplications themselves are largely untouched, but a respective adapterfor translating WSDL communications and invoking functions from theconsolidation application is placed in each system management server.The operation of the consolidation application is described below andillustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a high-level flow diagram of the operation of theconsolidation application, according to the preferred embodiment.Referring to FIG. 6, consolidation application generally responds tocommunications received over the network(s), and may initiate actionbased on internally scheduled functions. If there is no communication oraction pending, consolidation application waits in the loop created byblocks 601-603.

If a communication is received from a console, the “Y” branch is takenfrom block 601. Such a communication might be of several differenttypes. The communication may request locally available information,i.e., information which is immediately available in consolidation server205, without need to obtain it from other systems (the “Y” branch fromblock 604). The request for locally available information could be arequest for messages from a console message queue 409, a request fordata previously returned by one or more system management applicationsand stored in cached state database 408, or some other locally availableinformation. If the communication is a request for locally availableinformation, the information is obtained from local sources, formattedin an appropriate HTML form by console interface 405, and transmitted tothe requesting console client (block 605).

The console communication may involve the scheduling of functions (the“Y” branch from block 606). In this case, consolidation applicationpresents one or more interactive function scheduling screens, from whichthe requesting user may add, edit or delete one or more scheduledfunctions (block 607). Scheduled functions thus entered by the user arestored in scheduled functions database 407.

The communication from the console may alternatively be a request forservice from one or more system management applications (the “Y” branchfrom block 608), such as a request for information available to suchapplications, a request that a task or monitor be started, and so forth.In this case, the consolidation application translates the data receivedfrom the console to a client request into one or more WSDL requests inthe global WSDL format to one or more management servers (block 611).The consolidation application selects a management server from among theone or more servers specified by the console user (block 612). If themanagement server is on-line (the “Y” branch for block 613), the requestis transmitted (block 614); otherwise an appropriate status message isgenerated to inform the console user that the server was unavailable(block 615). If there are more servers specified in the console request,the “Y” branch is taken from block 616 to select another server at block612. When all specified servers (there might be only one) have beenprocessed, the “N” branch is taken from block 616, to return to block601. Thus, a single console request may cause multiple WSDL requests tomultiple management servers. Responses from all of these managementservers may need to be consolidated by the consolidation application fordisplay on the console.

If the communication from the console was some other form ofcommunications (i.e., neither a request for locally availableinformation, not a schedule function action, nor a request for servicefrom a system management application), the consolidation applicationhandles the communication as appropriate (block 609). For example, thecommunication might involve logging in or out, authenticating a user IDand password, or any number of miscellaneous administrative tasks.

Returning to the idle loop at blocks 601-603, if a communication isreceived from a system management server (the “Y” branch from block602), the consolidation application determines whether a pre-definedresponse exists (block 621). In some cases, the console user may specifyin advance an action to be taken upon the occurrence of some event inthe management console. For example, the user may specify that a monitorshould be restarted automatically in the event that the monitor ishalted as a result of a trigger condition. If a pre-defined responseexists (the “Y” branch from block 621), the pre-defined reply istransmitted to the management server (block 622). The consolidationapplication then updates the local cached state database 408 asnecessary with any new information received in the communication fromthe server (block 623). It will be appreciated that many communicationsdo not contain any such data. The consolidation application then adds amessage to console message queue 624, to indicate receipt of thecommunication from the server. While such a message is not strictlynecessary in all cases, in general the console will be apprised ofcommunications from a system management server. If the console iscurrently on-line (the “Y” branch from block 625), the consolidationapplication will transmit an alert to the console, which immediatelyappears on the console screen (block 626). The alert informs the consoleoperator that a communication has been received from a managementserver, any may identify the type of communication at a high level ofgenerality. If the operator wishes further details, he must request themessage from message queue 409 or view data from local cached database408. The consolidation application, having finished servicing the servercommunication, returns to the idle loop at blocks 601-603.

If a timer has timed-out, indicating it is time to initiate a previouslyscheduled function recorded in scheduled functions database 407, the “Y”branch is taken from block 603. In this case, the function is retrievedfrom database 407, and the consolidation application performs steps611-616 with respect to the scheduled function, in much the same manneras it would for an on-line console request.

It is envisioned that a consolidated system management apparatus asdescribed herein will be retrofitted on an existing computer complexhaving multiple different system management applications located ondifferent servers. One of the advantages of the present invention,according to the preferred embodiment thereof, is that it is possible toprovide a unified system management interface to operators withoutreplacing the existing system management applications or modifying anyof the managed systems. The process of installing a consolidatedmanagement apparatus in an existing complex is illustrated in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 7, a physical system is chosen as the consolidationserver 205 (block 701). This could be an existing system, or a newlyinstalled system. If it is an existing system, it could be one of thesystem on which an existing system management application resides, or adifferent system. The consolidation application is installed in thechosen consolidation server system (block 702).

A system management server is selected (block 703) and a determinationis made whether the system management application residing in the chosensystem manager is a supported application (block 704). A supportedapplication is one for which a suitable consolidation adapter exists. Inaccordance with the preferred embodiment, a separate consolidationadapter must be provided for each different system managementapplication. This is custom software, although much of the code iscommon to all consolidation adapters. While it is expected that suchcustom software will be written for a working set of major systemmanagement applications, there will always be a possibility that somemanagement applications are being used which are not supported, i.e.,for which no consolidation adapter has yet been created. In this case,the “N” branch from block 704 is taken, and an appropriate “unsupportedserver” entry is created in the configuration data in consolidationmaster database 406 (block 705). The unsupported server entry recordsthe existence of the unsupported management application, which can bedisplayed to a console operator so that he knows which parts of thecomputer complex are unreachable using the consolidation application.This information may also be useful, e.g., if a suitable consolidationadapter is later created for the unsupported application.

If the application is supported (the “Y” branch from block 704), adetermination is made whether the version of the management applicationis supported (block 706). As is well known, versions of applicationfrequently change, and the consolidation adapter might be compatibleonly with the most recent version or versions. If the version is notsupported, the “N” branch is preferably taken from step 706, and theexisting system management application is upgraded to its most recentversion (block 707). In either case, the appropriate consolidationadapter is then installed on the management server (block 708), and aconfiguration entry for the management server is created in theconfiguration data in consolidation master database 406 (block 709).Among other things, the configuration entry contains the network addressof the management server, allowing the consolidation application tocommunication with the adapter in the server.

If any more management servers remain (the “Y” branch from block 710),the process returns to block 703 to select the next server. When allservers have been process, the “N” branch is taken from step 710 andinstallation is complete.

It will be observed that most of the steps illustrated in FIG. 7 can beperformed automatically by installation software. In general, theselection of a suitable consolidation server will be manual, and theremay be some manual intervention in installing the consolidationapplication. But given a list of management servers, an installationapplication can perform most of the remaining steps automatically (theexception being step 707, which may again require manual intervention).On the other hand, the steps shown in FIG. 7 could be performed entirelyby a human installer, or by some combination of installation softwareand human input.

In general, the routines executed to implement the illustratedembodiments of the invention, whether implemented as part of anoperating system or a specific application, program, object, module orsequence of instructions are referred to herein as “computer programs”or “applications”. The computer programs typically comprise instructionswhich, when read and executed by one or more processors in the devicesor systems in a computer system consistent with the invention, causethose devices or systems to perform the steps necessary to execute stepsor generate elements embodying the various aspects of the presentinvention. Moreover, while the invention has and hereinafter will bedescribed in the context of fully functioning computer systems, thevarious embodiments of the invention are capable of being distributed asa program product in a variety of forms, and the invention appliesequally regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing media usedto actually carry out the distribution. Examples of signal-bearing mediainclude, but are not limited to, recordable type media such as volatileand non-volatile memory devices, floppy disks, hard-disk drives,CD-ROM's, DVD's, magnetic tape, and transmission-type media such asdigital and analog communications links, including wirelesscommunications links. An example of signal-bearing media is illustratedin FIG. 3 as memory 302 and data storage 304.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed alongwith certain alternatives, it will be recognized by those skilled in theart that additional variations in form and detail may be made within thescope of the claims which follow.

1. A method providing a common user system management interface in acomputer system complex having a plurality of different systemmanagement applications, comprising the steps of: installing aconsolidation management application in a first system of said computersystem complex, said consolidation application generating a common userinterface for a plurality of different system management applications,each system management application of said plurality of different systemmanagement applications residing in a respective computer system of saidcomputer system complex and performing system management functions for arespective subset of computer systems of said computer system complex,each said respective subset comprising a plurality of computer system ofsaid computer system complex; and installing a respective consolidationadapter corresponding to each said system management application of saidplurality of system management applications in the respective computersystem in which each said system management application resides, eachsaid consolidation adapter providing a communication interface betweensaid consolidation management application and its respective systemmanagement application, each consolidation adapter receiving systemmanagement function requests in a common format generated byconsolidation management application, and invoking said requests in therespective corresponding system management application in a formatcompatible with the system management application.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said consolidation management application andconsolidation adapters are installed in a pre-existing computer systemcomplex which, before said installation steps, is being managed by saidplurality of system management applications without said consolidationmanagement application.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said systemmanagement function requests in a common format generated by saidconsolidation management application are requests formatted according toWeb Services Definition Language (WSDL).
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein said consolidation management application generates said commonuser interface as a web server in the form of an interactive webinterface accessible by a web browser.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinsaid first system in which said consolidation application is installedis a dedicated system.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said firstsystem in which said consolidation application is installed contains atleast one of said plurality of different system management applications.7. The method of claim 1, wherein said common user interface includes atleast some user requests causing system management function requests insaid common format to be transmitted concurrently to multiple ones ofsaid plurality of different system management applications, and toconsolidate responses received from said multiple ones of said pluralityof different system management applications for presentation to a user.8. A computer system complex, comprising: a plurality of managedcomputer systems; a plurality of system management applications residingin respective systems of said computer system complex, each of saidplurality of system management applications performing system managementfunctions for a respective plurality of said managed computer systems;wherein a first system management application of said plurality ofsystem management applications is different from a second managementapplication of said plurality of management applications; wherein saidfirst system management application performs a first set of managementfunctions for a first subset of said plurality of managed computersystems, and said second management application performs said first setof management functions for a second subset of said plurality of managedcomputer systems, said first and second subsets being disjoint; aconsolidation management application residing in a first computer systemof said computer complex, said consolidation application generating acommon user interface for each of said plurality of system managementapplications; and a respective consolidation adapter corresponding toeach said system management application, each said respectiveconsolidation adapter residing in the respective computer system inwhich the corresponding system management application resides, each saidconsolidation adapter providing a communication interface between saidconsolidation management application and its corresponding systemmanagement application, each consolidation adapter receiving systemmanagement function requests in a common format generated byconsolidation management application, and invoking said requests in therespective corresponding system management application in a formatcompatible with the system management application.
 9. The computersystem complex of claim 8, wherein said consolidation applicationgenerates a common user interface for a core set of management functionsin each of said plurality of system management applications, said coreset being a subset of said first set of management functions.
 10. Thecomputer system complex of claim 8, wherein said system managementfunction requests in a common format generated by said consolidationmanagement application are requests formatted according to Web ServicesDefinition Language (WSDL).
 11. The computer system complex of claim 8,wherein said consolidation management application generates said commonuser interface as a web server in the form of an interactive webinterface accessible by a web browser.
 12. The computer system complexof claim 8, wherein said common user interface generated by saidconsolidation application includes at least some user requests causingsystem management function requests in said common format to betransmitted concurrently to said first and said second system managementapplications, and to consolidate responses received from said first andsaid second system management applications for presentation to a user.13. A distributed computer program product for managing a plurality ofcomputer systems in a computer system complex, comprising: a pluralityof processor-executable instructions recorded on signal-bearing media,wherein said instructions, when executed by multiple computer processorsin respective different computers systems of said computer systemcomplex, cause the respective computers systems to perform the steps of:generating a common user interface for a plurality of different systemmanagement applications, each system management application of saidplurality of different system management applications residing in arespective computer system of said computer system complex andperforming system management functions for a respective subset ofcomputer systems of said computer system complex, each said respectivesubset comprising a plurality of computer systems of said computersystem complex; transmitting system management function requestsreceived through said common user interface to a said plurality ofdifferent system management applications using a common request format;translating said user requests in said common request format to invokesaid requests in the respective corresponding system managementapplication in a format compatible with the respective system managementapplication, said translating step being performed in a respective localsystem on which each of said different system management applicationresides; and consolidating responses received from said different systemmanagement applications for presentation to a user in said common userinterface.
 14. The distributed computer program product of claim 13,wherein said system management function requests transmitted by saidtransmitting step using a common request format comprise requestsformatted according to Web Services Definition Language (WSDL).
 15. Thedistributed computer program product of claim 13, wherein said commonuser interface generated by said generating step comprises aninteractive web interface accessible by a web browser.